The Place Was Shaken

"When they had prayed, the place was shaken." (Acts 4:31)

Prayer Recognizes That God is in Control
Since God has the sovereign right and power to rule over all He has made, then none of His creation can stand up against His will for even a moment. God has all authority over man. If that is true, then we might ask why so many people get away with opposing God’s will? It is not God’s will for innocent people to suffer or be murdered; yet it happens all over the world. It is not God’s will for people to take advantage of one another, but many do. It is not God’s will for people to die from cancer, disease, or other terminal illnesses, but sometimes they do. Sometimes we have trouble understanding that God has everything under control and that His will is being fulfilled when we see all the problems around us.

Prayer Believes God for the Miraculous
Why were miracles and healing so important to the early believers?

 I believe they would have said, “We need healing and miracles because they will help people believe the gospel!” Mark 16:20 says, “They went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following.” If we just want miracles and healing to make us feel better and for personal blessings, we probably won’t see them nearly as often as the early church did. However, if we are reaching out to friends and neighbors, telling them about Jesus, and then praying for a miracle in their lives, then I believe God will come through. Why? Because He wants to show His power and love to them. He wants them to learn to trust Him. And if they know God is able to heal their bodies, or do other signs and wonders, then they will know He is powerful enough to forgive them and help them in other areas of life.
Prayer Results in Effective Evangelism

Friends, there is a reason God has placed us here in this community as part of His church. This church has a mission! Our mission is to make disciples, reaching every person we possible can with the good news. There are a lot of ways to do this, but if we try to do it without praying for God’s help, then we will not be effective!
-If we really believe there is only one way to be forgiven – through faith in Jesus, and if we believe the only alternative to God’s forgiveness is eternal loss and separation from Him, then we will make it our priority to share the good news with everyone we can. We will make it our priority to pray and ask God to help us do what He has asked us to do. This is the kind of prayer God wants to answer! God is waiting for us to report for duty. When we do, He will make sure we have everything we need to carry out the task.

"Prayer is a mighty force, an energy that moves heaven and pours untold treasures of good on earth." (E. M. Bounds)